Spectre
by MaskedGhostType
Summary: After a devastating attack at the Indigo League Conference and a coup d'état attempt on the Kanto Government by Team Rocket, Kanto locks down the region, preventing anyone from entering or leaving. To ensure trainer safety, the starting age is raised from 10 to 13, and all trainers, including Gym Leaders, under the age of 17 must go to school for four years. PS, CS, IS, ORS, OCxOC


A/N: Alright, so I've been MIA on this site for almost a year now… I needed a fresh start which is why I changed my pen name slightly, deleted my other stories, which in my opinion were horrid (I apologize to anyone who enjoyed them), and started writing a brand new fic. I've spent almost a year planning, and this one will be long, hopefully, and be very dark in some areas, so you've been warned. As of now, it has a "T" rating, but I'm considering raising it up to an "M" just to be safe with some of the things that I'm planning. Enjoy!

-x-x-x-

Summary: After a devastating attack at the Indigo League Conference and a coup d'état attempt on the Kanto Government by Team Rocket, Kanto locks down all ways into the region, preventing anyone from entering or leaving. Also, to ensure trainer safety, the age is raised from 10 to 13, and all trainers, including Gym Leaders, under the age of 17 must go to an academy for four years.

Prologue:

A black-haired 14-year-old boy bounded up a dirt road towards a small white house. Right on his tail was a small yellow mouse with a thunderbolt-shaped tail, easily keeping up with the teen.

As the pair turned onto the small stone walkway leading to the front door, they stopped for a moment to catch their breath. The yellow mouse proceeded to hop up onto the teen's shoulder, muttering a happy "Chaaaaa…" as the teen scratched him behind his ears.

"Well Pikachu, home sweet home!" the teen exclaimed.

"Pika!" Pikachu replied with great enthusiasm.

"I can't wait to see Mom again! Mimey too!"

"Pikapi!"

The pair then proceeded to walk onto the porch and enter the house, only to find it deserted. The small living room was recently cleaned, based upon the shiny wooded table, dusted television screen, and polished trophies and placks that sat on a self by the television.

The duo then proceeded to enter the kitchen to find a platter of chocolate chip cookies, a bottle of ketchup, and a handwritten note. Upon seeing the heavenly red liquid, Pikachu dismounted his trainer's shoulder and jumped onto the counter, tackling the bottle, and inadvertently spilling ketchup all over the note.

"Pikachu, look what you did!" the teen scolded.

"Pika…" Pikachu replied while scratching the back of his head with his paw.

Luckily, only the top right corner of the note had been coated with the red liquid, and was still readable.

"Dear Ash and Pikachu", Ash started as he picked up the ketchup-covered note, "I'm sorry I'm not in right now, but Mimey and I had to do some last minute shopping. Enjoy the cookies, and make sure Pikachu doesn't spill ketchup all over the kitchen again. Love, Mom." Ash sent a glare at Pikachu, while the electric rodent just sweatdropped upon hearing the last part of the note.

"Well, I guess we better clean up this mess before Mom gets home." Ash said as he went over the sink to get a sponge wet. Pikachu was already on the case however, licking up most of the ketchup on the counter and backsplash. Ash meanwhile was trying to clean the ketchup that had somehow landed upon the ceiling and the window that looked out into the Ketchum's spacious backyard.

When Ash finished cleaning the window, he noticed Bulbasaur sitting on his hind legs, looking up and smiling at Ash. Immediately at the sight of his old friend, Ash grinned wildly and rushed out the kitchen door onto the patio. Pikachu followed Ash once he had realized why Ash had rushed out the door.

"Bulbasaur! How are you doing buddy!?" Ash yelled as he ran to greet one of his oldest and most loyal pokémon.

"Pika!"

"Bulba!" Pikachu and Bulbasaur called to each other.

Once the trio had met up, Bulbasaur enwrapped both Ash and Pikachu in a hug using his vines. He released the pair a few seconds later and immediately started to walk off towards Professor Oak's laboratory.

"Bulbasaur! Where are you going!?" Ash called out to the grass and poison dual type pokémon.

"Bulba, bulba bulba saur, bulba saur, saur bulba." Bulbasaur responded as he continued his march towards the Oak laboratory.

"What do you mean follow you!? Pikachu and I just got home!" Ash replied.

"Bulbasaur, saur bulba, Bulbasaur." Bulbasaur replied.

"You didn't mention food before! Wait up! Ash eagerly exclaimed. Pikachu merely sweatdropped again upon hearing Ash's exclamation of food.

It took the pair only a few seconds to catch up to Bulbasaur, and the trio casually walked up the dirt road to Professor Oak's Pokémon Laboratory.

During the walk, Pikachu walked alongside Bulbasaur and the pokémon pair chatted as Ash listened in on the conversation. He heard Pikachu mention "Pikachupi", which he knew was Pikachu's name for Misty, to Bulbasaur. The Seed Pokémon replied with a smile and a nod of his head. Pikachu's face immediately lit up, and he started running on all fours.

"Pikapi pi Pikachupi, pika pika pi. Pi ka pi ka pi ka pi!" Pikachu happily called back to Ash.

Ash, upon hearing Pikachu, immediately froze with a half confused, half horrified look on his face. He stood, lost in his thoughts, until Bulbasaur slapped him on the face with a Vine Whip attack.

"Bulbaa, bulba bulba, saur?" Bulbasaur asked once he was sure Ash has recovered from the slap.

"No Bulbasaur, I don't like Misty that way! She's just my best friend!" Ash answered in a flustered tone with a slight blush appearing on his face.

Bulbasaur merely gave a chuckle in response, and got a brooding glare from Ash. A second later, Ash was struck with a Thunderbolt, fired by an impatient Pikachu who was running back to the pair.

"What… was… that… for… Pika… chu…?" Ash asked as he coughed, covered head-to-toe in soot and paralyzed.

Pikachu sweatdropped once more when he discovered he had used a little more electricity than he planned. Bulbasaur came up with a quick solution. He used his vines to grip Ash by the feet, and proceeded to drag him the rest of the way to the lab, with Pikachu running ahead, eager to see Misty, his trainer's "girlfriend".

-x-x-x-

Up at the lab, Professor Oak and Delia were putting the final touches on Ash's welcome home party. Delia has finished putting out the last dish, a fresh garden salad, on the buffet table, when the lab's doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that could be" She muttered to herself as she opened the door.

"Hi Mrs. Ketchum!" A redhead with a side ponytail exclaimed as she hugged Delia.

"Misty dear! It's been too long!" Delia said as she embraced the 14-year-old girl whom she considered to be her daughter.

"Am I late? Is Ash here yet? Misty asked rapidly as she let go of Delia.

"No, you're the first one here! And Ash isn't here yet. I sent Bulbasaur to fetch him once he got home." She replied. "Speaking of which, I think that's them right now." She said as she pointed down the hill that Oak's laboratory sat on.

Slowly but surely, Bulbasaur was dragging an unconscious Ash up the path with Pikachu sprinting once he saw Delia and Misty. At this sight, Misty stifled a laugh and Delia was mortified that her son was charred and knocked out, not to mention being dragged.

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped into Misty's arms and gave the redhead a hug. Misty responded with a giggle and hugged the electric rodent back.

"I missed you too Pikachu! By what did you do to Ash?" Misty questioned, provoking a sweatdrop from Pikachu.

Meanwhile, Delia had been trying to revive Ash once Bulbasaur had finished dragging him up the hill. She didn't have to try hard, as the smell of his mother's cooking had woken him up.

"Huh…. Where am I? Ugh… my head hurts…" Ash muttered as he started to sniff the air, smelling a familiar aroma. "Wait….. is that… FOOD!?"

He then bolted for the lab and was about to start scarfing down the buffet table until Bulbasaur held him back with his vines. Misty, Pikachu, and Delia all sighed.

"Well, same old Ash for you." Misty said as she walked toward the boy restrained by Bulbasaur's vines, still carrying Pikachu.

Misty's voice seemed to snap Ash out of his food-driven excitement. Slowly he turned his head until he saw the redhead's sea green eyes.

"Hey Mist… long time no see, huh?" Ash said as he turned towards one of his oldest and best friend.

"Hey Ash…" Misty timidly said, blushing slightly at Ash's nickname for her.

Pikachu, sensing that both teens needed to be alone, tapped Bulbasaur to release Ash from his vines. He obliged, and the two pokémon casually made their way out to the backyard so the yellow rodent could catch up with the rest of his friends.

Once released from Bulbasaur's vines, Ash wiped the remaining soot from his face and dusted himself off to the best of his abilities.

"It's… been a while." Ash said quietly.

"Yeah… almost two years now." Misty replied in a hushed tone.

"That was when I was challenging the Battle Frontier. We traveled from here through Mt. Moon right?"

"I enjoyed that, you know. It felt nostalgic, with you and Brock."

"It did. I was sad when we had to part ways again… I really enjoyed having your company again Mist."

Misty blushed a little when she heard what Ash said.

_Wait, Ash enjoyed my company? He missed me?_ Misty thought, hiding her blush.

"So, how's the gym going?" Ash asked, snapping Misty out of her temporary trance.

"It's going well. I've cleaned it up and my sisters are getting more competent in battling, so I can take more time for myself." She replied.

"Are they still doing the underwater shows?"

"Yeah…" Misty sighed, "and they still make me take part in them. I hate that mermaid costume."

"Why though?"

"Because I'm eyed like a piece of meat in that thing…" Misty deadpanned.

Ash, being as thick-skilled as a Marowak's bone helmet, didn't understand what Misty meant, and commented that nobody would think she was meat, as she was still really scrawny and a runt. Hearing this, Misty lost her temper and promptly used her Misty Mallet on Ash's dense skull. He was knocked out once again.

-x-x-x-

Groaning, his head throbbing, Ash awoke many hours later. He didn't know how long, but the sun was setting outside of his bedroom window.

_Wait, how did I get back to my room? The last place I remember being was over at Professor Oak's Laboratory. _Ash though as he rubbed his forehead.

He tried to sit up, but almost blacked out from the pain that surged into his head from where Misty had used her mallet. Groaning again, he lay back down into his bed, rubbing his head. Closing his eyes, he heard a slight, almost inaudible, breathing sound coming from beside his bed. Turning his head slowly to his right, he saw Misty asleep, leaning her head onto his bed.

_She's so light. I didn't even feel her weight._ Ash thought as he reached over to touch Misty's shoulder to try to wake her up. Before he did, he noticed that there were dried tears on Misty face, something that he hadn't seen in a long time.

_She's been crying... over me? What did I do to her?_ Ash thought as his head started to hurt again.

Letting out another groan, he lay back down, placing his hands comfortably on his stomach. Listening to Misty's rhythmic breathing was making him tired again. He was about to succumb to the overpowering need for sleep when he felt a light pressure on his abdomen and someone grabbing his hand.

Opening his eyes, he saw that Misty was awake and was giving him a small smile. She was grasping his right hand, rubbing the back of it with her thumb, while also using his chest as a pillow, not that he was complaining.

"Hey Misty…" Ash whispered, stretching out his left hand to stroke to stroke her hair. _It's so soft. _He thought.

"Hey Ash… I'm glad you're awake. You had me worried." Misty whispered back.

Ash, not knowing how, or wanting, to reply, simply didn't. He just caressed her hair. The two teens stayed in the comfortable and peaceful position they were in, just enjoying each other's company after such a long time of not seeing each other.

Slowly, Misty looked up into Ash's brown eyes with her own sea green eyes, gathering the nerves to ask her next question.

"Hey Ash, do you mind if I…" Misty started until she lost her nerve.

"If you…?" Ash asked, trying to clarify Misty's question.

Taking a deep breath and gathering up all of her courage, Misty finished her question. "Do you mind if I lay down next to you…" Misty was now as red as her hair, but still kept her eye contact with Ash. He, meanwhile, had a look on his face that was a mixture of confusion and surprise.

Quickly though, that look soon turned into a small smile and an outstretched hand.

"Sure Mist." Ash whispered as he scooted over in his bed and helped the redhead onto it.

Misty's face was now just as red as an angry Magmar, her blush becoming uncontrollable. As she lay her head down on Ash's pillow, there were only a few inches separating them. Both lay on their backs starring up at the ceiling, both thinking about their current situation, although with completely different thoughts.

_Well this is… different. I haven't seen Misty this gentle or nice in a long time. It's nice. Although I don't know why she's so nervous or why she's blushing._

_ Alright Misty, calm down. You fought your nerves and look where it got you. Just play it cool and try not to blush like that again._

The pair settled down into a comfortable silence, staring up at the ceiling of Ash's room. They remained like this for a few more minutes until Ash broke the silence.

"Hey Mist, how long was I out?" Ash asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Three days." She replied, in an equally quiet tone.

_Three DAYS!? I've been out for THREE DAYS!? I missed the party, and all that food! _Ash thought, his mind trying to wrap around the concept of not having consciousness for almost half a week.

"I didn't get to eat any of that food…" Ash whined. He received a giggle from Misty as she lightly clipped his shoulder. "Ow."

"Oh be quiet you big baby." Misty giggled out.

"So what happened while I was out Mist?" Ash inquired.

"Well, you missed the party your mom threw for you to welcome you back home from Unova. A lot of people came to it. Brock was there along with May, Drew, and Max. May brought along a girl with a white stocking cap, I think she said her name was Dawn. She had dragged a violet-haired guy who seemed he wanted to be as far away from the party as possible. His name was Paul I think… said he knew you from Sinnoh; cold looking guy. Gary was there too, along with the Professor's new aid, Leaf. Tracey was there sketching your Unova pokémon while Todd was taking numerous pictures." Misty explained.

"So where are they now?"

"All of them except for Todd are still here. He had to get going right after the party to get to Viridian City for a photo shoot he was doing." Misty's voice had now changed tone and she was almost starting to cry. "Um, Ash… there's something you have to know."

"What Mist?"

"Todd's… dead…"

When he heard Misty's words, Ash was dumbfounded. What did she mean that Todd's dead? Sure, he wasn't one of Ash's closets friends but they had been on a few memorable adventures, such as the quest for a picture of an Articuno.

"Misty, what do you mean Todd's dead?" Ash asked in a serious tone.

"He… he was killed by Team Rocket… when they attacked the Indigo Conference, the Plateau, and Viridian City."

"Team Rocket DID WHAT!?" Ash responded, almost yelling.

"They tried to take over the government. They blew up the Viridian Gym and half of the city when they self-destructed their base. 200,000 people died in Viridian, with almost another 300,000 wounded. They had suicide bombers in the stands at the Indigo Conference. There were over 480,000 people killed and almost 700,000 more wounded. Most of them were no more than ten or eleven, beginning trainers at their first conference. But then, as if they hadn't caused enough pain, they attacked the Plateau to try and seize control of the government by force. Agatha and Koga are dead, Bruno is badly injured after getting one of his legs blown off, and Lance barely made it out with his life. Brock, poor Brock, lost Forrest there. Lance called all Gym Leaders to help out at the Plateau. The only surviving leaders now are Surge, Sabrina, and I. The rest are dead." Misty explained. She was now starting to cry.

"Mist, what's wrong?"

"Violet's dead… Lily is paralyzed from the waist down, and Daisy is in critical condition. The four of us were in Viridian doing a water show. I left them to come here, and then all hell broke loose… Even though they put me through hard times, we still cared about each other… Now I'll never get to say goodbye to her…"

Misty was now crying her eyes out, unable to control herself. Ash, thing to see Misty upset, pulled her into a hug to try to comfort her. It worked, as she snuggled close to him and let out her remaining tears into his chest, pressing her face against it. Ash had a hand around Misty's back and was rubbing it, trying to get her to calm down.

It did the trick, and Misty had stopped her crying after another five minutes. The two teens remained in their embrace, trying to comfort one another.

"So that's why you were crying earlier…" Ash whispered.

"How did you know I was crying?" Misty replied.

"I saw dried tears on your cheeks. I thought you were concerned about me, but now that I know the truth, I feel horrible about that. I'm sorry Mist."

Misty broke their embrace, only to grab both of Ash's hands with hers.

"Ash… there's no reason to be sorry. I was concerned about you, after I had hit you… But that's not the only reason. I'm not sure how to say this… but…" Misty started, her tone of voice displaying caution and pain.

"But… what?"

"Ash… when you went unconscious, your mom and Mimey went to Viridian to get you some medication to relieve any pain you'd have when you'd wake up. Ash… they were both killed."

Ash's face, a face that hardly ever bore a painful or saddened expression, contorted into the most horrific, painful expression you could ever have.

_Mom's….. dead….. and Mimey too….. But… how? Why? _Ash thought as tears filled his eyes.

Unable to control himself, he leaned into Misty's shoulder and started to cry. All he did for the next half hour was cry. Grief-stricken and finally out of tears, he wrapped his arms around Misty in an attempt to feel some sense of safety and security.

"How…. How did they die? Mist… I need to know…" Ash cried as his emotions were coming back under his control.

"From what I heard, it was quick. They were right over one of the detonation sites. They didn't know what hit them; killed instantly. No pain." Misty replied as she hugged the boy tighter, both comforting each other over their losses.

They stayed like that, in their pained embrace, for another two hours until sleep finally took over from the draining effects of their emotions to their bodies. Lying down next to each other, Ash wrapped his arms around Misty in a securing embrace, pulled the blanket over them.

One final thought popped into Ash's mind before he fell asleep:

_All that Misty and I have left are each other. I promise, that no matter what, I'll never let her hurt like this again._

Finally, right before sleep claimed him, Ash placed a short and delicate kiss on Misty's forehead, sealing his silent promise to himself.

-x-x-x-

A/N: So there's the prologue, and I already know that a lot of people will be mad at me for this, but I did warn you all that this would be a dark fic; definitely a different start than most. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned for the next update!


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